I was once a guest preacher at a congregation celebrating Veterans Day during Sunday worship. The service began with a color guard carrying an American flag into the sanctuary—a new…
In the early 1980s, beginning at Mount Katahdin, I backpacked the length of the Appalachian Trail (2,100 miles) south from Maine to Georgia. Sometimes I’d go three days without seeing…
On June 29, 2018, I stood in front of 30,000 young people and confessed a heavy burden: I’m a recovering self-injurer. It’s not the first time I’d spoken those words,…
One Sunday in 2017, Alex Hoffner, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Tullahoma, Tenn., pulled aside then-15-year-old Colin Shuran after a worship service with a suggestion for a potential movie…
Editor’s note: This year the ELCA celebrates 50 years of Lutheran women’s ordination in the United States, 40 years of the ordination of Lutheran women of color and 10 years…
I enjoy new beginnings, and as a churchgoing educator, I get three “new years” annually: the first on Jan. 1; the second in August or September as the academic year…
Hispanic leaders, ministries and resources in the ELCA often go under-supported, underappreciated and uncelebrated. Ours is a hidden story. There are many Hispanic ministries and leaders throughout this church that…
When our children were young, we used to meet their cousins at a gas station in Mars Hill, N.C., a town about halfway between our homes in Virginia and South…
In the Gospel readings for September, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven through parables and in conversations with his disciples. The kingdom of heaven is where perfect justice flows. It’s…
What if we’re both wrong? There’s a long-standing difference of interpretation between Roman Catholics and Lutherans about what Jesus meant when he said to Simon, “You are Peter, and on…
Editor’s note: The 19th Amendment was formally adopted into the United States Constitution on August 26, 1920. August marks the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment, and people…
Joy Lutheran Church, Eagle River, Alaska Arctic researcher and conservationist I believe that we need to work together if we want the world to be a better place. Among other…
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